How to Make It

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan, combine the water, milk, butter and salt and bring to a boil. Add the flour and stir it in with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms; stir over low heat until it dries out and pulls away from the pan, about 2 minutes.

Step 2

Scrape the dough into a bowl; let cool for 1 minute. Beat the eggs into the dough, 1 at a time, beating thoroughly between each one. Add the cheese and a pinch each of pepper and nutmeg.

Step 3

Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip and pipe tablespoon-size mounds onto the baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 22 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Serve hot, or let cool and refrigerate or freeze. Reheat in a 350° oven until piping hot.

Notes

When making the choux pastry, it is important to be sure that each egg is fully incorporated into the batter before adding the next. Don't worry if the batter separates and looks curdled at first. Keep beating, and it will come together nicely.

Gougères freeze well. It might be fun to make extra with your club, so you can all take some home. After baking, allow them to cool completely. When you return home, spread the gougères out on a baking sheet, cover the sheet with plastic wrap and freeze them until they are firm. Then store them in sturdy plastic bags for several months.

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Review Body: Red Seal Pastry Chef here. First, the video that accompanies this recipe is terrible. The dough needs to be cooked much longer than what is represented; it should be cooked in a saucepan not a skillet. The recipe is not terrible; however, I'm quite sure Alain Ducasse would never have baked an anemic looking pastry like this - not nearly dark enough to ensure the inside is thoroughly cooked. It is lacking salt in the worst way and definitely benefits from 1 tsp of dijon mustard. The comments about it not being cheesy enough are because of the lack of salt. This recipe needs 1 tsp of kosher salt for the above recipe (1/2 tsp table salt if that's what you use). If the dough is cooked long enough (to gelatinize the starch in the flour) then they don't slump like the pitiful example you have posted with the recipe. Come on FoodandWine! You can, and have, done better than this! Two star recipe as is

Review Rating:

Date Published: 2019-09-10

Author Name: Kevin Rosenquist

Review Body: This is not a good recipe. Virtually tasteless dough balls. If you do decide to make it keep in mind that shredded gruyere cheese doesn't stick to dough. So if you sprinkle the cheese on before you put them in the oven I would recommend putting some melted butter on them first. My better advice is to find another recipe.

Review Rating:

Date Published: 2019-10-20

Author Name: Alexandra Catherine

Review Body: I'm surprised by the positive reviews - I honestly expected much more in gougeres by Alain Ducasse. The recipe was quite bland and doesn't require enough salt. The gougeres have no real "puff" I'd compare them more to a scone, and yes I followed the directions precisely. The recipe needs another flavor point - perhaps a touch of mustard or herbs and a cheese with more bite. But if you like tiny bland biscuits oozing butter, that's what you'll get.

Review Rating: 1

Date Published: 2019-02-04

Author Name: Will Owen

Review Body: Most recipes I've seen for these emphasize a need for freshness, but I have found that not only do they keep quite well simply under a towel or napkin, I actually prefer them a bit "stale", if that's even the right term. The one I've used most often has the cheese pushed inside each ball, which is rather tricky but very tasty. I've also read a recipe calling for them to be arranged in a close circle on the baking sheet, so that they "grow together" as they bake; the guests are expected to break them off. This was in a Burgundy cookbook, so that might be a regional quirk.

Review Rating:

Date Published: 2019-02-12

Author Name: Mindy847

Review Body: With so few ingredients, each one needs to be the best. I've found an cave-aged comte or gruyere makes all the difference.

Review Rating:

Date Published: 2019-02-05

Author Name: Catherine

Review Body: A Christmas go-to. This has got to be one of the easiest recipes ever. It is fail-proof and is perfect for making ahead and freezing. All I have to do later on is reheat. Hands down, the best appetizer for a crowd!

Review Rating: 5

Date Published: 2017-12-05

Author Name: Rebecca Shrand

Review Body: Perfect EVERY TIME! So incredibly delicious. One batch made 60+ for me, and disappeared within 10 minutes for only 4 people! Absolutely divine.